Free Republic

Stocks faltered after the opening bell Monday on Wall Street as traders remained concerned about rising oil prices. Brent crude oil rose above $124 a barrel, pushed higher by an escalation of violence in the Middle East. Silver jumped more than 5 percent and gold rose as investors sought shelter against a weaker dollar, while prices of grains surged on supply fears. Investors are also looking for clues this week from the Federal Reserve, which is meeting to discuss the direction of monetary policy when the Fed’s bond-buying program ends in June.

CARACAS, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Venezuelans worried on Friday that a second devaluation of their currency in 12 months would make life even harder as the socialist government of President Hugo Chavez struggled to turn the economy around. Already suffering one of the world's highest inflation rates and the only major Latin American economy still in recession after the global financial crisis, they fear the New Year devaluation could hit their livelihoods more. "It is a blow against the pockets of the workers, against the poorest people," said Robinson Calua, a 50-year-old security guard in downtown Caracas.